Mar. 18, 2013

Written by

Tammy Stables Battaglia

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

The death of a 1-month-old baby Wednesday in Birmingham has been ruled accidental after the infant’s mother told investigators she fell asleep while breast-feeding, according to officials.

A ruling today by the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office says her death was because of “near-asphyxia with complications thereof,” according to the death certificate.

Assistant Birmingham Fire Chief John Connaughton said the father was driving the baby to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak with the mother performing CPR when fire crews arrived at their Bird Avenue home just after noon Wednesday to help.

“You can certainly see it: mothers who are very tired, breast-feeding, fall asleep, and anatomically the infant is trying to feed, and they can easily suffocate,” said Connaughton. “It’s something you don’t think about, and it can happen very, very easily.”

Deputy Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence said the department would not release any information about the incident today, referring questions to the family and the medical examiner’s office.

The cause of death of an 8-month-old Pontiac girl remains pending with the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office after her father said she also may have suffocated.

Investigators from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a report that the infant’s father may have rolled onto her while they were sleeping in the 200 block of Seville Pointe in Pontiac early Wednesday. Investigators who responded to the home on 4:13 a.m. found the 29-year-old man performing CPR on the baby.